Jack



July 14, 1931 al.. NoLETTE 1,814,226

JACK

Filed Feb. 3, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 14, 1931. G. L.. NOLE'TTE JACK Filed Feb. :5, .1928

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 patented July 1,4, 1931:

4UNITED STATES PATENT @FFECE v(rli-)RG'E L. NOLETT, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 ABRAHAM NOLETTE, JR., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS JACK Application inea February 3, 192s. serial No.' 251,547.

greater range of extensibility in a given size of jack may be provided; and a material increase in the speed of operative adjustment.

Jacks suitable for handling automobiles equipped, as is the present day custom, with the comparatively new balloon type of tires have to be contractible to a height which permits of their insertion under a fallenaXle, e. g. under an axle which has been lowered by deflation or removal of a tire. Yet,

'if they are to give efficient and satisfactory service, they should be extensible to a height providing ample working lee-way between the ground, or iioor, and an inflated tire arranged on the wheel rim. A real problem is involved, in that a jack with the needed contractibility, will not, ordinarily, be 'capable'` of extension to a desired height. And, in the usual constructions, the action has been very slow, consuming considerable time and energy in the act of gradual change from low to high or high to low elevation.

It is an object of the invention to provide so that jacks may be constructed with ability to be contracted to a few inches in height,

say four or six, for example, and with ability l to be extended to a height approximating three times their' height when fully contracted. Another object is to increase the speed of gradual ascent or descent of jacks,

4o and this with no increase, but rather with a decrease, in the energy required to operate,

as compared with jacks of the present types.

A feature of importance is that the rest, at the top of the jack, does not rotate, and thus `v may be once positioned with respect to the Vabject which is to be engaged, and then reuires no further attention as regards setting. Still `another feature resides in a convenient and efficient ratchet mechanism for operating the jack in the act of its extension or construction. It is, moreover, an important feature that the structure employed provides exceptional strength, and liftingcapacity; and withal., has a compactness which is especially advantageous, as a measure of convenience in handling and storage.

'These objects and results are attained by resorting to the telescoping screw principle, now common in jacks, but by developing that principle beyond what has been done successfully heretofore, to my lmowledge.

according to the invention three screws, each of ditl'erent diameter, are made to cooperate in the act of extending orcontracting the jack, they working under the urge of an operating sleeve which is adapted to be rotated, clockwise or reverse, by successive horizontal back and forth movements of a ratchet handle. The large screw of the telescoping trio is slidably keyed to the operatiiig sleeve to rotate with it, and is threaded into the top of a base-standard- The other two screws are keyed against rotation, with respect to the base standard, the small one being threaded into the top of the operating sleeve, and slidably keyed to the medium sized screw, which in turn is threaded into the large screw, and slidably keyed to the standard. lf the large screw has left-hand threads, the small screw and the medium sized one will have right-hand threads, so that rotation clockwise of the operating sleeve will cause independent motion upward of each screw, producing, for each complete rotation of the sleeve, an aggregate rise at the top-rest of the jack equal to the sum of the screw pitches of the three screws. And, because there is sliding connection between the operating sleeve and the large screw; betweenV the .standard and the medium sized screw; and

between the small and medium sized screw, the maximum height possible of attainment for the jack is approximately a little less than the sum of the lengths of thethree screws. Also, the operative action of my improved jack is simple and efficient, and is made easy by providing so that only a minimum amount of friction exists between parts which have relative rotary motion.

It is intended that the patent shall cover,

ce'l

by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

ln the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved jack fully contracted;

Figure 2 is an elevation showing the jack fully extended;

Figure 8 is a plan with a part broken away to'illustrate the ratchetJ mechanism;

Figure 4 is an elevation, in medial section through the j ack, as seen in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an elevation, in medial section through the ack, as seen in Figure 2;

f Figure 6 is a plan, in section on 6-6 of Figure 4; and

Figure .7 is a plan, in section on 7-7 of Figure 4. Y

Referring to the drawings the ack there seen comprises a relatively large and flat base 10, a tubular base-standard 12, and an operating sleeve 14 for operating the three telescoping screws 16, 18 and 20, the latter of which carries at its top the jack-rest 21. Standard 12 has its upper end threaded internally, as at 22, to receive the large screw 16, and is provided with longitudinal keyways 24, extending from a point just below the. threads 22, out through the base of the jack but normally closed at the base by cover plate 25. A disk 26 fits nicely within the bore of the standard 12, to slide freely therein and it has tongues 26l projecting into the keyways 24 in the standard to prevent rotation of the disk with respect to the standard. Rising from this key-disk 26 is a hexagonal shank 28 which extends with sliding but not rotatable fit through a hexagonal hole 30 in the bottom 18 of the second-largest screw 18, which screw is threaded into the upper end of the larger' screw 16. The nut 28 on the end of shank 28 limits the upward movement of the screw 18 as when the key-disk 26 has been so far lifted thatl its tongues 26 have reached the ends of the keyways 24.

The second-largest screw 18 is provided at its top with a circular table 32, and the operating sleeve 14 is rotatably supported on this table with suitable ball-bearings 84 intervening. It is maintained thereon by the pin-end of screw 36 which underlies the rim'of` the table. Thus screw 18 and the operating sleeve 14 must move in unison in vert-ical directions, but the sleeve is free to rotate about the screw, which is keyed to the base-standard. The large screw 16, however, is made to rotate with the sleeve, it having keys 16 on its head which slidably engage in longitudinal'keyways 14 formed internally of the sleeve.

The third and smallest screw may be seen at 20, it being threaded into the top of the operating sleeve, as at 88, and extending into (he hollow of screw 18, wheie it is slidably keyed to said screw as at 40, and held with that screw against rotation. As illustrated,

terasse the large screw 16 has left-hand threads, while the other two screws have right-hand threads. Thus, with the jack fully contracted, as seen in Figures 1 and 4, a clockwise rotation of sleeve 14 will cause the large screw 16 to move upward relative to the base and base-standard; will vcause the second-largest screw 18 and the operating sleeve to move upward relative to the 'large screw; and willcause the small screw 20 to rise with respect to the secondlargest screw. As a result of a complete rota-i tion of the operative sleeve, the aggregate rise, at'thejack-restQ-l, will equal the sum of the pitches of the three screws. Thus, the pitch of each screw is three sixteenths of an inch, which is a practical dimension, the tot-al Y lift at the rest 21, occasioned by a single revolution of the operating sleeve, will. be nine4 sixteenths of an inch, or considerably more than is operatively possible with jacks as heretofore constructed.

The means for rotating the operating sleeve 14, to extend or to contract the ack, is exceedingly simple, convenient and efficient. The action may be by short back-and-forth horizontal movements of a suitably long handle 42, which movements are transmitted to collar 44 which is rotatably mounted on the operating sleeve, and through ratchet 46 to the sleeve itself. For this purpose the sleeve has,

near its upper end, a peripheral ring-portion 48 of considerably larger diameter than the main body of the sleeve, and the periphery of this ring-portion is provided with a multiplicity of squared notches 50 in which the ratchet 46 is adapted to engage to effect rotation of the sleeve. The ratchet is mounted at the juncture of handle and collar, pivoted at 52, and, preferably, is of the double-acting type, with finger-pieces 54 extending out a little at each side in position to be flipped byV clockwise direction accordinglyas one or the other of the ratchet-prongs. 56 is in `positionto effect the said turning.

The manner of mounting the collar 44 v0n the ring-portion 48 ofthe operating sleeve provides a minimum of friction which results in an exceedingly easy operative action.v To this end ball-bearings 59 are inserted between the upper surface of ring 48 and the top of collar 44, they being arranged ina circle on said ring before the collar is slipped over thet operating sleeve when assembling. A periph-` eral groove 60 is provided in the ring'48, under the notches 50 therein, and a likegroove 62 is provided, on the collar, in the inner surface which lies adjacent tothe irst mentioned groove. Thus, when the collar 44 is in place on the ring 48, the two adjacent grooves 60, 62 form a circular hole around the ring, into which hole a multiplicity of ball-bearings 64 may be fedthrough the hole in tit 66 on the collar. And then the hole may be closed by screw 68. Thus, both radial and axial thrust at the collar 44 is provided for, and the lower circle of balls 64 serves the added function of maintaining the collar on the operating sleeve.

My improved jacket embodies several important advantages over the ordinary and usual constructions, and has capabilities whereby it fills an urgent need in the art to which the invention relates. In addition to its operative features of utility and novelty, it has characters of sturdiness and compact ness which render it particularly appealing to the trade.

I claim as my invention:

l. A jack comprising a standard, and three telescoping screws, the outer one of which is threaded into said standard, the middle one of which is threaded into the outer screw, and slidably keyed to said standard, and the inner one of which is slidably keyed to said middle screw; and an operating sleeve for the screws threadedly engaging said inner screw, and slidably keyed to said outer screw; said outer screw having threads reverse ot the other two screws, whereby rotation of said operating sleeve effects vertical movement of all of said screws, each with a dilerent rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, in the same direction relative to the said standard.

2. A jack comprising a standard; three telescoping screws; and means for operating all of the screws, each with a different rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, in like vertical direction relative to said standard; one of said screws being threaded said rst screw, and the other threadedly engaged by said operating means.

3. A jack comprising a standard; three screws; and means for operating all of the screws vertically and simultaneously in like direction but each with a different rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, with respect to said standard; said screws being mounted each to travel into said stand'- ard in telescopic relation, and to travel out of said standard with each screw supporting ard, each with a different rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, in like direction; and means for effecting sald screw movements, comprising an operating sleeve keyed to one of said screws, rotatably supf ported on another said screw, and threadedly engaging the third said screw.

5. A jack comprising a standard; three telescopically arranged screws supported by said standard; and means for operating all of said screws, each with a diferent rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, in like direction; said operating means comprising an element surrounding the screws and the standard, it being rotatably supported on the middle one of said screws, slidably keyed to the outer screw, and in threaded engagement with the inner screw.

6. The combination of three telescopically arranged screws; a support; and means for simultaneously operating all three screws, each at a different rate of travel, in like direction; the outer one of said screws being threaded internally and externally with its exterior threadedly engaging said support; the middle screw being threaded into said outer screw and slidably keyed to said support; the inner screw being slidably keyed within said middle screw; and said operating means comprising an element surrounding the screws and the support, it being rotatably secured to said middle screw, slidably keyed to the outer screw, and in threaded engagement with the inner screw.

7. A jack comprising a standard; three screws operable into and out from said standard, each with a different rate of travel from that of its neighboring screws, in like direction; a rotatable operating sleeve supported on one of the screws and operatively connected to the other two screws; and horizontallyA arranged ratchet mechanism for rotating said sleeve.

Worcester, Massachusetts, January 30,

GEORGE L. NOLETTE.

l no. 

